Dr. PetPlay Is 10% iPad App, 90% Child-Directed Fun

Portland, Oregon – Pretendasaurus, a Portland-based children’s app studio, today launches Dr. PetPlay and Dr. PetPlay Free exclusively for the iPad. The first in a series of Pretend Play Apps, Dr. PetPlay is COPPA compliant, iOS 6 and 7 ready and available on the App Store.

Dr. PetPlay is not a game. It has no rules or levels and the flow is open-ended. The amount of players is only limited by the roles kid’s dream up, which makes it easy for families and lots of friends to play or for a child’s imagination and all of their animals. Using children’s own stuffed animals, toys, or even drawings with the app means there are no toys with sensors or codes needed. Cooperative role playing can cultivate empathy as children take turns being a doctor or animal caregiver.

Brent Engels, Chief Creative Officer of Pretendasaurus explains, “During user testing, kids gathered all of their stuffed animals, invited everyone in the house to play and handmade props that transformed ordinary spaces into pet clinics, zoos, pet stores and animal adoption centers. The children thought of new ways to play every time they opened the app.”

Engels continues, “The app itself is intentionally simple. It’s a different experience than managing cartoon characters, scoring points or placing stickers. As parents, we believe in preparing safe digital environments that empower children and embrace their favorite ways to play.”

As family-friendly developers, Pretendasaurus respects privacy. There are no ads, in-app purchases, social media access, third-party advertising or links to the web. Buttons which lead to the App Store for reviews (or free version to buy) are protected by a custom parental gate. All data and photos are contained within the app and no identifying information is gathered.

Dr. PetPlay Free comes with a Cat so that children can truly experience the app’s total play potential. Currently, the full version has 10 popular animals and is available exclusively on the iPad App Store at the introductory price of $2.99.

Pretendasaurus is a Portland-based children’s app studio dedicated to creating fun pretend play apps that empower children and embrace their favorite ways to play. Copyright (C) 2013 Pretendasaurus. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPad, iPad mini, iPod touch, and Mac are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.